St Edward’s Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have cultivated a school community that values many forms of success. They have placed the development of well-rounded individuals at the centre of their school.

Pupils' positive contributions to wider school life are encouraged and celebrated equally, alongside their academic successes.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of interesting activities to nurture their talents and support their personal development. These include participating in sports clubs, charity events and in-school competitions.

The 'Key Stage 3 Pledge', for example, recognises and celebrates pupils' positive actions within the school and local community.

Pupils demonstrate a strong... understanding of the school values. Staff have high expectations for all pupils and provide a plethora of opportunities for them to embody each value.

Pupils are proud to belong to the school and feel well prepared for their next stage of education.

Bullying is very rare because pupils treat each other with kindness and respect. Pupils feel welcome and fully included in the school.

They trust that adults will listen to and resolve any worries that they might have.

Parents value the care that staff give. As one parent commented, 'We are extremely happy with our child's experience, progress and opportunities.

We feel very privileged to have such a fantastic school on our doorstep.'

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. There is a strong commitment to equip pupils with the tools they need to succeed regardless of their starting points.

Pupils enjoy a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders have thought carefully about the content staff teach and the order in which it is taught. Teachers have extensive subject knowledge and explain ideas carefully to support pupils' understanding.

However, in certain subjects, pupils are not sufficiently clear about what they need to do to improve. In some cases, this is because teachers are not checking routinely what all pupils know and remember. In other cases, some teachers are not providing pupils with the time they need to make improvements before moving on to new knowledge.

In such cases, misconceptions in learning are arising and not always addressed by teachers.

Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. Classrooms are calm places where learning is very rarely disrupted.

However, leaders are working on ensuring that staff and pupils have a consistent understanding of the behaviour policy. Although staff expectations are high, the policy requires further embedding to ensure that it is applied effectively across the school.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are carefully identified by leaders.

Most pupils benefit from a range of support to meet their needs. This includes interventions to help pupils who have the greatest needs, including support for struggling readers. There are some pupils with SEND that do not yet receive high-quality regular support in class.

This means that some pupils with SEND are not able to make the best progress. The recommended strategies to support teachers to respond to the needs of all pupils need to be clearer and more detailed.

The personal development of pupils is a clear strength of the school.

Leaders have carefully considered the knowledge pupils need to know to make informed decisions about how to stay safe. The personal, social and health education curriculum teaches important and locally relevant themes, including water safety. In addition, 'Citizenship Week' features three times per year and 'Careers Week' once a year, which provide further opportunities to reinforce important knowledge.

Pupils also speak confidently about the knowledge they learn through assemblies and how information is linked to other curriculum subjects, including physical education (PE) and science. There are a broad range of activities and leadership opportunities for all pupils to become involved in within school. These include being a 'reading buddy', 'sports leader' and 'eco-monitor'.

Staff feel very well supported by leaders. They are overwhelmingly positive about working in such a considerate and professional community. Staff value the wealth of carefully selected training opportunities that leaders have provided.

However, the training that staff are completing is not yet having a demonstrable impact on the quality of teaching and learning. Leaders are aware of this and have detailed plans in place to continue improving the quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have clear systems and structures in place to keep all pupils safe and secure. Pupils know how to report any worries or concerns they might have. Staff are well trained to respond to pupil concerns.

Leaders have a thorough understanding of the local area and have trained their staff to respond appropriately to the needs of the school community. Clear and detailed record-keeping demonstrates the swift actions leaders take to ensure the safety of all pupils. They work well with external agencies to make sure families get help when needed.

Through taught lessons and assemblies, pupils develop a useful knowledge of the world around them and how to stay safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, pupils are not provided with regular opportunities to show what they understand. Furthermore, pupils do not always understand the verbal and written feedback they are given.

This means that some pupils have misconceptions, or gaps in their knowledge. Leaders must ensure that teachers regularly check pupils' understanding to provide feedback that is purposeful. They must also make sure that pupils have the time to make improvements before they are moved on to more complex content.

• Some pupils with SEND are not yet receiving the necessary support within their lessons. This means that some pupils with SEND are not yet making the progress in their learning that they could. Leaders need to ensure that teachers are provided with clear guidance to support all pupils and that the support in place is closely monitored.

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